Ellery A. Peterson, 85, of Kearney, formerly of Axtell, passed away on Monday, November 4, 2024 at Kearney Regional Medical Center ~ Bryan Health. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, November 15, 2024 at Bethany Lutheran Church, south of Axtell, with Rev. Marcia Dorn officiating. The service will be streamed to the funeral home's Facebook page. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at Craig Funeral Home in Minden. Private family interment will be held at the Bethany Lutheran Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the family for later designation. Arrangements are under the care of Craig Funeral Home in Minden.

Ellery Alan Peterson was born November 28, 1938 in Minden, NE to Eldon & Hazel (Harwager) Peterson. He was baptized & confirmed at Bethany Lutheran Church - Axtell, NE where he remained a lifetime member. He attended Axtell schools, graduating in 1956, then attended Luther Jr. College in Wahoo, NE and UNL Ag College, before returning home to the family homestead. He worked for his father and held other jobs around Axtell, while helping with his mother's illness. He always said that 1961 was the best year of his life when he met Joyce Jacobsen, his future wife, which they recently celebrated the 62nd year of marriage. He and Joyce started a family farm shortly after and were blessed with their first son, David, in 1966 and second son, Kent, in 1970.

As a young adult in the 1940's, he cemented many of his lifelong loves after he joined a local 4H club that led him to ag/farming. He loved all sports, especially the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers, and of course the Nebraska Cornhuskers: after attending his first game with his mom in 1949. In 1963, he and Joyce began a lifetime of seeing the Cornhuskers play in Lincoln with season tickets, which to this day have been passed on to his grandchildren. Over many years they followed the Huskers from Lincoln to Norman, South Bend, the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans and places in between. Ellery & Joyce were two of 50,000 people to see the 1st Superbowl game in Los Angles in 1967, with the program proudly being hung in his office. In 1984, the entire family attended the Olympic games in Los Angeles. In retirement near Chandler, AZ, he and buddies could be seen at local high school football or basketball games, where more than once they met and took pictures with future Cornhuskers.

In addition to his family, the local community was a high priority in is life, serving on many local boards including Bethany Church, Bethany Cemetery, Bethany Home, Keene Co-Op, Minden Country Club, Axtell Rural Fire and volunteered as an Axtell Fireman. He also participated as an active member of the Axtell Lions Club, Kearney Elks Club (#984), Kearney County Corn Growers and Cattle Association.

In 1996, he and Joyce began their transition towards retirement with the purchase of a retirement home in Sun Lakes, AZ, where they continued to migrate for many winters. Upon his full retirement in 1999, he and Joyce travelled many times including cruises to Alaska and multiple driving trips to all corners of the United States. He enjoyed visiting or meeting long-distance family members along the way. Finally in 2016, they relocated to their current home in Kearney, where he spent his final years as a daily patron to Taco Johns in Kearney and Kat's Korner Market in Axtell for his coffee groups, and don't forget the Minden Country Club for a Chardonay. His greatest joy was telling stories, seeing his grandkids and getting together with his many friends.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Hazel, father, Eldon, stepmother, Erleen, twin-sisters, Beverly and Barbara, and his son, David. He leaves behind his lifelong wife, Joyce (Kearney, NE), son in-law, Steve Hotzler (Broomfield, CO), son, Kent and his wife Tierney (Omaha, NE), grandson, Gavin (Columbus, MS) and granddaughter, Rylie (Omaha, NE); as well as a host of extended relatives and close friends.

Tributes and memories can be shared with the family at www.craigfunerals.com .